Hello all, Looking for Expert Assistance. Going to need and engine Block or a good shop to repair it. My D3B engine been in the machine shop since Feb . main issue was Center cam bearing spun and corrupted the bearing bore. The shop hesitating about boring the cam bearing saddle and sleeve it. a safe way is to find a block. Personally I am leaning to sleeve option Thank you for your support
A competent machine shop should have already sleeved it May want to check with another
D Miller I agree with you . I had a death in family I was out for about 3 weeks, I was not pressing. Now I back I am going to press
I know years back somehow the company got a good deal on a used genset with a natural asperated 1710 Cummins. Not sure I recall how it must have happened but it had a burned spot on the outside of the block where the rear cam bearing was in the right bank. We stripped the block for a rebuild and local machine shop bored and bushed the block with out a problem. So if they could do that on a 1710 a little D3b should be easy.
A bore at the end would be easier than in middle. You need to through smaller cam bores with a tool to bore bad cam bore bigger. Can be done depends on tooling and experience of shop.
Here are some picture that may add some light. The problem can one bore it not mess with the block.? Will the we have enough room and how thin the sleeve can be and still work?
It looks fairly straightforward for a fully competent engine machine shop. Sometimes oversize cam bearings are available for some engines if the damage is not too severe.
Interesting problem. Would a steel sleeve stay tight in the overbore when thermal expansion of the cast iron block takes place ?
Most Cummins Cam Bearing sleeves I had seen installed were a sweat fit much as a dry liner, did not move once set.
One suggestion is to find the oldest grey haired mechanic and ask him who to do the repair! Not sure if there are many of those guys still around! Back when I was a kid in my 30's there were still plenty of those guys to be found!
Finding a 3204 block may be difficult. I sell them as fast I can come up with them.
Last week I met again with the machine for sure he is extremely busy boring rebuilding engine. We discussed the difficulty finding engine and that we don't have choice but to fix it. I think Mr Hansen is right finding that old machinist would be nice. The bore definitely can be sleeved. The trick is not to take much metal out just enough to clean it and freeze drop . and making a lube groove in the sleeve such that it won't starve for oil. Just some thoughts
Can it just be bored for oversize pistons? IPD 3 ring pistons come oversize up to .040" I believe.
Would not be a good choice, heat of cylinder firing is transferred thru walls to water coolant, thinner walls faster heat transfer and generally a bad case of bore warpage under loads.
My engine was bored .010" over and no problems in about 1800 hours. Must have enough meat in the block to allow for boring to fit aftermarket sleeves? A D3B wouldn't be under real heavy loads.
i had a 3208 bored .040 in a NH combine and it had no problems in 4000 hrs. i finally retired it. mice got into a cyl through the exhaust after it sat for a couple years and rusted a cyl. and then i sold it to a wrecker
Hi Welder Dave , It is not about the cylinder wall that is the easy part. in the cylinder not bad, but I am planning to sleeve with IPD. The main issue is the cam bearing saddle. The the middle bearing spun and caused issue. we are going to sleeve the cam bearing the question is how much metal to take out so we are not the valve lifter bore. I think the cam saddle can approached from one side ( so not to disturb the ridge) bore it and freeze drop a sleeve. then bore (clean) all the 3 cam bearing in order to align them. See the Pics above welcome any suggestion As I said above the guy is so busy , he had people out with Covid19. now they all back hopefully he will get on it soon
Sorry, I was just referring to the pistons bores.
The sleeve shouldn't interfere with the lifter bores. Lifters don't ride on camshaft bearings. They are open holes to the cam lobes.
Hi Tinkerer Look at this pic The shop man said when boring the cam he was worried that it will below the cam bore. I don't agree with him
I don't agree with him either. Hard to tell looking at the the photo but ↓ If the cut for the sleeve extends past the (shiny) flat spot under the bearing in the photo he would need to extend the sleeve bore enough so the sleeve can dropped down far enough to enter bearing bore. I'm not a machinist but it seems that would be the thing to do.
Is not boring all the way across the block, if is in a central cam bore may have to come up with imaginative cutting and installation is all.
I know he is very busy due to covid , but he is having to think about it. but if he approach the saddle from one side , center, and clean the bore and clean the ridge on one side only. he should be able to put a thick enough sleeve and not get near the cam. can freeze drop the sleeve into the saddle. my opinion.
how thick is the sleeve he is planning to install? i would think it should only be 3/32 or 1/8". about the same thickness as the cam bearing. i would assume he will cut the bearing bore, make a sleeve with a rough sized inside bore, install it and bore to finished size. maybe you should try to find a shop that has done these blocks before. either he can do it or he can't. i would have run out of patience long ago
Hi guys I really agree with you all. I ran out of patience long ago. Call cat they chickened out, called many shop in TN , AL Ga . none wants to tackle it. even industrial machine shop also did not want to do it. Even called the guys of Rottler whom they make the machine they referred me to several engine machine shops but none want to tackle it. My guy had not problem me taking to some one. just did not have any luck. I decided to wait for him and give him a chance to catch up. as Far as the the bore and thickness , I believe to clean the bore , and the make the sleeve slightly oversize , and bore all cam bores together. we discussed the approach , I think he will press the bearing and sleeve together (outside) and use Permatex and then press the sleeve and bearing as single assembly. I'am with you guys and totally surprised how few engine machine shops available. it is beginning to look like a dying trades